TEOFS - 3 - The Landscape And The Compass (1)

THE LANDSCAPE AND THE COMPASS

The symbols inscribed on the compass ring are rarely static since the forces in the landscape are in a continual state of flux. The symbols reflect the carefully balanced relationship between heaven and earth, the tension and opposition between yin and yang, elements, hexagrams, stars, and the hundreds of other symbols of the compass. Even within a single series of symbols, one symbol refers to another and interacts with it.
In practical terms this contant interaction is applied to five basic landscape categories:

Shan



This is the dragon, the most important feature of the land since it can create or destroy human fortune. The dragon is linear in that it links every shape in the lanscape to a line of other shapes. The twists, turns and curves of its body can be seen in all topographical formations. Hills, mountain ridges and formations are the dragon's veins and arteries through which ch'i, the dragon's blood, can circulate. Water courses are the dragon's ducts though which the water ch'i can flow. As with a human body, the dragon's body also has capillaries and ducts which carry ch'i but if there are too many small channels around a site the ch'i is easily dispersed. The higher the concentration of ch'i through the veins or arteries, the greater the fortune bestowed on the site. The geomancer can identify where the dragon influence enters or leaves, disperses or leaks, condenses or collects. He is also able to determine the type of dragon - whether it is straight, lying across a site, or riding a site. The point at which the forces in the landscape have a powerful and positive effect is called the dragon point.

Shui

Shui refers to watercourses or pools flowing through or situated close to the site. Sluggish or stagnant water can affect the fortune of the site since it is a place where sha will accumulate. The quality and the movement of the water is also an indication of the soil type in the area.

Sha

Sha is the term for formations of earth, mud or sand and is a term applied to unusual land or riverbank formations.

Chai

Chai is the site itself or the dwelling, whether it is a house, tomb or office.

Hsueh

Hsueh is the 'lair' of the dragon and also refers to the site, particularly if it is in a well-protected place such as a hollow or a site shielded on three sides.

LO' PAN - THE COMPASS

This introduction to the compass is bassed on a simple nine ringed compass which contains the basic information a geomancer may need. To give an accurate reading, the geomancer correlates the symbols and information given in each ring with the horoscope details of the individual.
In order to take the bearings of a site or a feature of the landscape the geomancer holds the compass or places it against the straight side of an object aligned with the direction from which he wishes

Lo Pan - The compass

to take a reading. The compass is set on a square base to make this possible. There are two threads help taut which cross at the centre of the compass and the geomancer positions the compass so that one of these threads is directly in line with the direction he is facing. The dial listing the concentric circles is moved around until it is aligned with the needle. A reading can then be taken along the line of symbols that appear under the line of the thread.

The centre of the compass is known as Heaven's Pool or Tai Chi. The area is divided in half by a magnetic needle. It is believed that the compass provides order for life and in the middle is the well of the Heaven Pool where action and rest work together. The Heaven Pool symbolically represents the starting poiint of ch'i, the life breath. It is in this Pool that the forces of yin and yang can divide and interact with each other, when one ascends, the other declines, and so they work and rest in harmony. Their action in turn gives rise to the elements and other forms and forces. The Heaven Pool is regarded as the centre of the universe.

The first ring contains the original trigrams devised by Fu Hsi. The Former Heaven trigrams are laid out among the eight points of the compass. Within this sequence, the forces of yin and yang wax and wane. Yang is an its greatest in ch'ien, the southern and most male trigram, and yin is at its strongest in K'un, the northern and most female trigram. This movement from strength to weakness through the trigrams of the Former Heaven sequence represents the cycle of the seasons from winter, when yin is at its peak, through spring and onto summer, when yang is at its peak and then the yin forces build up again through autumn to culminate in winter.

The second ring contains the symbols of the nine stars which move through the cosmos affecting the fate of humans. When the stars are moving they are invisible, when they can be seen they are believed to be the seven stars of the Dipper plus two nearby stars. These nine stars also correspond to the nine different compass readings given in the Pa Che system described in chapter 4.

The Nine Stars reflected in the formations of mountains and hills

Not onle does each star wield a different influence, but its presence is also apparent in the shape of the land. The Dipper stars are: 

T'an lung                                                  Covetous wolf

Chu-men                                                  Chief gate

Lu-ts'un                                                    Salary (rank) preserved

Lien-chen                                                 Purity and Truth

P'o-chun                                                   Breaker of armies or fortune

Wen-ch'u                                                  Cultural activities

Wu-ch'u                                                    Military activities

The remaining star are:

Tso-fu                                                       Left assistant

Yu-pi                                                        Right assistant

Their manifestation in the land is loosely covered by the forms shown on picture.

The third ring follows the position of the twenty-four mountains. These correspond to four hexegrams from the Later Heaven sequence, eight heavenly stems Wu and Chi are not represented here since they correspond to earth at the centre. As well as having a symbolic meaning, the mountains are also directional points similar to the directional points on the sundial or mariner's compass. The twenty-four points may also be grouped into threes so that a group of eight corresponds to the four 'corners' of the earth. In more detailed compasses these twenty-four points may appear in three rings, always in the same order but shifted round several degrees. The three rings correlate to Heaven, Earth, and Man, all are equally effective and must act in harmony with one another to maintain the balance of the universe.

Branches	Trigrams	Stems	Direction
Tzu Ch’ou Yin Mao Ch’en Szu Wu Wei Shen Yu Hsu hai	Ken Sun K’un Ch’ien	Jen Kuei Chia Yi Ping Ting Keng hsn	NNW by N N NNE by N NNE by E  NE ENE by N ENE by E E ESE by E ESE by S SE SSE by E SSE by S S SSW by S SSW by W SW WSW by S WSW by W W WNW by W WNW by N NW NNW by W

When readings are taken from the three rings each symbol's influence is slightly blurred and it allows for a greater interaction with neighbouring symbols. Although this indicates a continual state of flux within the symbols, the cardinal points are considered to be unchanging and the 'corner' points changing. The symbols are arranged as shown in the table above. 

   The fourth ring lists the eight major Tzu Wei stars from the Tzu Wei astrology system. Tzu Wei is the name of the god in charge of what is variously called the Purple Planet, the Purple Star or the Pole Star. The Pole Star is the center of the astronomical system and the astrological calendar. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the two closest constellations are seen as the North and South Measures which represent a human lifespan. The god of birth dwells in the Southern Measure and the god of death in the Northern Measure. The Pole Star is the centre of life and the stars that surround it are measured in relation to this central star. Each of the eight stars in this ring appears four times which gives the geomancer the opportunity to choose alternative positions if one aspect gives an inauspicious reading.

The fifth and sixth rings each contain the sixty-four hexagrams (the sixty-four possible combinations that arise from combining the eight trigrams). Since all things are subject to change, except the Tao, the hexagrams listed in the fifth ring provide a reading for the present, the sixth ring provides a reading for what may happen in the future.

The Sixty-four hexagrams

Ch’ien K’un Chun Meng Hsu Sung Shih Pi Hsiao Ch’u Li T’ai P’i T’ung jen Ta Yu Vh’ien Yu Sui Ku Lin Kuan Shih Ho Pi Po Fu Wu Wang Ta Ch’u I Ta Kuo K’an Li Hsien Heng

The origin Success Birth pangs Rebellious youth Patience Contention The army Unity Holding back the less able Walking carefully Benevolence Obstruction Companious Many possessions Modesty Enthusiasm According or agreeing with Decay To draw near Examine Biting through To adorn Peeling or splitting Return Not false Great domesticating powers Talking nourishment Great experience Watery depths To shine brightly, to part All embracing constant

Tun Ta Chuang Chin Ming i Chia Jen K’uei Chien Hsieh Sun I Kuai Kou Ts’ui Sheng K’un Ching Ko Ting Cheng Ken Chien Kuei Mei Feng Lu Sun Tui Huan Chieh Chung Fu Hsaio Kou Chi Chi Wei Chi

To hide Great strength To advance Brightness dimmed The family Opposition Obstruction Let loose Injured Increase New outcome To meet To collect Rising up To surround and wear out The well Change The cooking pot Shock Resting Gradual development Marrying the younger sister Prosperity The traveller Gentle and yielding Happiness Scattered Limitations Inner confidence Minor problems Already done Not yet done

The seventh ring contains the twenty-four terms of the solar calendar. These twenty-four phrases were and still are used by farmers to guide them through the agricultural year. Each of the twenty-four terms correspoints to 15^o of the sun's motion in longitude on the ecliptic and in the calendar they occur every fifteen or sixteen days. Although this solar calendar is correlated with the other ring on the compass, it does not have the symbolic value of the other rings and is used purely for practical reasons. This cycle indicates to the geomancer the periods of growth and decay and it is divided into 8 chieh and 16 chi. Chi indicates the periods of growth and decay, which in a greater sense is part of what yin and yang represent. Chieh mark the end of  certain periods and herald the beginning of new phases in the annual cycle.

The twenty-four terms of the solar calendar

Chieh Ch’i Ch’i Chieh Ch’i Ch’i Chieh Ch’i Ch’i Chieh Ch’i Ch’i Chieh Ch’i Ch’i Chieh Ch’i Ch’i Chieh Ch’i Ch’i Chieh Ch’i Ch’i

Li Ch’un Yu Shui Ching Chi Ch’un Fen Ch’ing Ming Ku Yu Li Hsia Hsaio Man Mang Chung Hsai Chi Hsiao Shu Ta Shu Li Ch’iu Ch’u Shu Pai Lu Ch’iu Fen Han Lu Shuang Chiang Li Tung Hsaio Hsueh Ta Hsueh Tung Chih Hsiao Han Ta Han

Beginning of spring Rain water Excited insects Spring equinox Clear and bright Grain rains Summer begins Grain filling Grain in ear Summer solstice Slight heat Great heat Autumn begins Limit of heat White dew Autumn equinox Cold dew Hoar frost descends Winter begins Slight snow Great snow Winter solstice Slight cold Great cold

The eight ring contains the twenty-eight constellations which are used for determining the position and time of the burial. The constellations are usually gathered into groups of seven to represent the four quarters of the compass. The constellations or hsui were asterims distributed around the celestial equator in 2400 BCE although their positions have changed so that they can no longer be regarded, if they originally were, as points marking the equator. The constellations are all visible throughout the year so each is considered to govern twenty-eight differently sized portions of a circle with Heaven at the centre. Constellations can bestow good luck or misfortune on a certain day, so if the first reading is unsuitable the geomancer can refer to the yearly almanac to check the annual movement of the constellation in question and determine an alternative date that offers a positive reading.

The ninth  ring divides up the 360^o of the circle. Prior to the arrival of the Jesuits in China during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries bringing with them advanced astrological techniques, the Chinese circle was divided into 365 1/4^o

^{Next: The landscape and the compass (2)}